The Legend of Link: The Wolf Howls At Midnight
by Alius111
Summary: While on his way home to the Ordana Province, a mysterious stone transforms Link back into a wolf. Forsaken by his friends, he flees to Faron Woods. Now, years later, thinking people had forgotten him, Link embarks on a quest to regain his lost humanity.
1. Scars of Hatred

**Alius111**: Alright then, this is the third time I've posted this story, and you know what they say: the third times a charm. This was one of the first stories I've ever wrote, and judging by the praise I got it was pretty damn good. Unfortunately my spelling, grammar and punctuation weren't up to scratch. But I've improved now and have put a lot of time into this story, trying my best to make it perfect. Although some remnants of my old, sloppy style still remain; they'll quickly fade away after time. Lets see where this takes me. R&R.

* * *

**The Legend of Link: The Wolf Howls At Midnight**

**By Alius111**

**Chapter One**

**Scars of Hatred**

The sun shone brightly in Faron Woods. It was a normal spring day, no different from the one before. The people of Ordon Village went about their business, doing their meagre tasks and chores, living out their lives the same way they had been since they began. Life in Ordon Village went on the same way it had been for many years, and the people were content, completely unaware of the things happening beyond their borders. Past Ordon village, across a long wooden bridge that spans across a deep gorge, beyond the entrance of Faron Woods, and beyond Faron Springs where Faron the spirit of light resides; you'd come to a fork in the road. To the right is the path leading to the Forest Temple. But to the left, set in a wide glade between the trees, stood a house. This house was just like any other house. Surrounded by wilderness, made out of wood planks with a straw roof, a pit in the front to make fires, and a scarecrow standing in an overgrowth of tall grass. This house belonged to a man named, Coro.

Coro had no wife or children, but he did not live alone. Lying in front of Coro's house, right next to the fire pit with its head resting on its furry paws, was a large wolf. This particular wolf—though nobody knew it—was once a person. And not just any person—this wolf was once Link! The chosen wielder of the Triforce of Courage, the Great Hero chosen by the three Goddesses _themselves_ to save Hyrule and vanquish evil and to take his place among the legends of all the ancient heroes! However, what was such a hero doing here of all places? And what was he doing in the form of a wolf? Well, shortly after he saved the land and vanquished evil; he vanished. He faded from legends . . . never to be seen or heard from again.

* * *

_Eight__ years_, he thought. Eight years since he killed The Dark Lord Ganondorf, eight years since he had been cursed, eight years since he had been trapped in this body, and eight years since he lost all hope of recapturing his old life.

Lying out in the sun, Link stretched out in front of Coro's house and lifted his hind leg, using his flexibility to scratch himself behind the ear. It felt good.

_It seems like only yesterday,_ Link yawned, revealing a set of pearly white fangs. Eight years ago Link—very anxious and much _human_; had been riding Epona through Faron Woods, steadily heading towards Ordon Village, eager to get home and eager see everyone again. Link could see all of their faces clear in his head. He imagined how warmly they would greet him once they saw Epona trotting into the village with him sitting on her back. After his long quest of saving Hyrule: a nice warm welcome was exactly what he needed. It seemed every time he went somewhere new: some huge, bloodsucking demon was trying to kill him. Well, that was all behind him now. He was heading home now to warm, loving friends, and hopefully, to a _normal_ life.

However, fate it seemed, had other ideas. Just as he was nearing the bridge that would take him home, the skies went dark and a black stone—like a meteor—**obliterated **the treetops and crashed into the earth with a loud explosion. In a blast of black particles, Link had been thrown off the terrified Epona's back, knocked unconscious as his head struck a rock. When he awoke the black the stone—or meteor—or whatever it was, suddenly vanished—but not before he was able to get a good look at it. It had been midnight black, roughly the size of a large boulder; it sides were smoothed and polished, like the kind of smooth rocks you'd find at the bottom of a river. It was glowing with a dusk coloured aura. It's face had been covered with strange red runes—the same runes Link had seen on the castle walls when he and Midna had entered the Twilight Realm.

When he tried to get up and stand on his legs, he was shocked when he tumbled over, only to realize that he'd been transformed into a wolf. He remained in the clearing for a moment, staring down at his paws, wondering what to do. Epona and the stone were gone. At first he had tried to get help. Even though he was an animal, Link walked the rest of the way to Ordon Village, but none of his friends had recognized him! When they looked at him, all they saw was a blood thirsty animal who'd sooner kill you than look at you.

After nearly being slaughtered by Rusl, the town black smith and sword master, he was run out of the village, barely escaping with a few minor cuts and gashes. In his desperation, Link had even tried going to Ordon Springs to cry out for the light spirit's help. But Ordona never showed himself. And Link was left alone, deserted by his horse, and abandoned by his friends . . . There was nothing left for him to do now except . . . Hope for a miracle.

For the next two years, Link would try to live in the wilderness on his own, facing brutal summers and freezing winters, becoming bitter and filled with hatred for the people who had abandoned him. He had never been good at hunting as a wolf (He had always relied on Midna to gather food for him while they traveled through the Twilight). Any prey he stalked would always get away from him, and he would again be left without any food, forced to go hungry for yet another night. Soon Link started loosing weight, becoming ill from hunger, and it wasn't long before he got so skinny that his skin was stretched tight over his ribs.

On many occasions, rather than succumb to starvation, Link was forced to sneak into the village to try and steal some food, nearly getting caught every time. But he soon had to abandon the option of getting food from the village eversince the villagers had gotten wise and set up traps around the borders of the forest to keep him out. But one particularly cold night had forced Link to try his chances with the traps. After being caught and severely injured by one of said traps, he gave up all hope. As time went by he became more and more resentful to the people of the village. And soon enough, after years of barely keeping himself alive by feeding off scraps and dead animals, Link became vicious. A wild animal, snarling and biting at anything that approached him . . . even if they were humans.

But one cold winter night, after a blizzard left Link weak and near death, the smell of cooking meat and spices lured him out of the trees and towards a clearing in the center of the woods. In the glade there was a man sitting in front of a house, quietly tending to a small fire. Link recognized this man, it was Coro, the lantern salesman. Link remembered meeting Coro all those years ago when he was trying to save Talo from Faron Woods. Yes, he had been the man who had given him the lantern. Of course, back then, they met on better terms.

It was winter so everything was covered in a blanket of snow, but everything _looked _the same to Link. It all seemed so familiar, except instead of a pot of oil boiling over the fire, there was a _whole_ pig being roasted! And it was giving of a _delicious_ scent.

Link's dripping tongue stuck out of his mouth, tasting the air as intense hunger clawed at his insides. His stomach clenched from not eating in almost a week. Salivating, Link quietly padded his way across the snow covered glade, his mouth dripping with saliva.

Coro lifted his head from the fire and noticed Link walking towards him. Dropping his plate, he let out a terrified yelp and scurried away from the advancing wolf. At first Link had intended to just scare the human away and take the meat for himself, but seeing Coro's fearful expression had made him feel . . . guilty. It was strange to feel guilt again. After so many years as a wolf, the emotion was alien to him. Still, he hated feeling it, so he decided rather than _steal_ the meat, he would share it. And for the first time in years, Link was friendly towards a human.

Wagging his tail, Link let out a whine and sat down beside Coro, resting his snout on the man's lap.

"O-Oh . . . I-I see you like people," cautiously Coro reached out and patted Link's head. The wolf closed his eyes and allowed Coro to scratch him behind the ear. Suddenly the man stopped and pulled his hand away.

"That's strange, you don't see many wolves with earrings," Coro dangled the small, blue earring on Link's right ear with his finger. Link leaned forward and rubbed his muzzle against Coro's shoulder and licked the side of his face. His reward was a very _large, _and very succulent chunk of meat which Link hungrily devoured. He savoured the taste. It had been so long since Link had eaten food this good. In a few short minutes he had finished and was whining for more. Coro smiled, ripped a hunk out of the pig's shoulder, and tossed it at Links feet.

"Ah, you poor guy," Coro whispered. "You must have been starving'."

After all the meat had been eaten. Coro doused the fire and went inside his house for the night. He hadn't given Link any inclination that he wanted him to leave, so Link found himself a soft patch of ground and fell into an easy rest, feeling fuller than he had in a long time. Coro awoke the next morning to find Link grooming his fur in front of his fire pit. When Link noticed him he jumped up and anxiously pawed at his legs. Coro fed Link what food he had and even let him come along when he traveled to Hyrule Field to pick Deku Nuts. It was alright it seemed, surely the wolf would be gone by tomorrow. But he wasn't. Coro had opened his door the next day to find Link in the exact same spot as the day before. When it looked like Link wasn't going to leave, Coro had been hesitant at the idea of letting him stay. Wild animals were dangerous, he couldn't keep him here, but it didn't seem like the wolf was going anywhere. What was he to do? Go inside until it left? Stop feeding it? The Lantern salesman even considered chasing Link off as a last resort, but one night as he was brewing a batch of lantern oil, a bandit attacked Coro with a knife, shouting for him to surrender the small amount of Rupees that he owned. Out of nowhere, Link had jumped out of the trees and had mauled the bandit until he ran away screaming.

After Link had rescued Coro from the thief, the lantern salesman became more fond of the wolf, even naming him 'Silverfang,' and was even kind enough to break the shackle off his Link's left leg. Link didn't care much for the new name but he could have gotten worse, he decided. Eventually Coro warmed to the idea of having a pet; the man seemed to really like the idea of having a domesticated wolf which could protect him while living at his house. So, he allowed Link to stay, and he has lived there ever since.

* * *

Link stayed there in the sun for hours, quietly basking in its warmth and counting the hours as they rolled by. He'd been living with Coro for six years now, and Coro was the only human who was ever allowed to go near him. Any other human tried and Link would attack.

In his solitude, Link found life unbearable. He was still the same vicious, bitter, hate filled wolf he'd always been. He still spent his woeful days feeling sorry for himself and still felt nothing but **contempt **for whoever had sentenced him to this damned existence. The fallen hero didn't even feel _human _anymore. He felt it, in his mind, a dark savage instinct that took the place of logic and reason. Tragically any human traits he once possessed such as love, compassion, kindness, and sympathy . . . were gone. He felt more like an animal now, a wild animal. Where thought was replaced by impulse, Link now relied on pure instinct without any thought of common sense. Strategies and empathy were for humans, not for beasts. As were traits such as longevity and long life.

Over the years the aged wolf had become old and fat. Link had come to hate his life. He always felt angry or depressed when he thought of the life he had, and how it had been so viciously snatched away from him, and how no one seemed to care he was gone. Link actually went back to Ordon village once. In spite of everything he had experienced at the hands of the villagers and their damned traps. He had to see it one more time . . . Just once more.

His instinct told him to stay away but he couldn't stop himself. The urge to see his old home was just too strong. On an early spring morning, Link had crossed the long bridge which spanned the gorge, a bridge he hadn't crossed in almost six years. As he ran through the woods, he felt himself feeling nostalgic for his old life. He remembered the day Rusl has asked him to deliver a package to Hyrule Castle, a sword forged by Rusl himself. It had been at Twilight. He remembered how excited he had been that Rusl would actually trust him with this errand. And even though he'd only been joking, Link had been absolutely enchanted by idea of meeting the Princess.

Lost in the deep fog of memory, Link would of run straight into the village had he not hear someone nearby. He paused to sniff at the ground. Someone was in Ordon Springs. Cautiously Link poked his snout around the bend and started into the spring. It was Ilea. At the sight of her Link felt his ears shoot up. It was her! She was bathing Epona in the waters of the spring. Quietly Link stood in place and watcher her as she sang, not daring to reveal himself. If she saw him, she would only scream in terror.

Ilia had become a fine women. She was tall and beautiful. She had flowing blonde hair and crystal green eyes. She wore a long white dress that hugged her body. Link noticed the large bulge in her stomach. She was pregnant. Over the past few years, Link had snuck to the edge of the woods that surrounded Ordon Village—even though it pained him to do so because it filled him with memories of the life that had been stolen from him—He had to know what happened to the children he had known for so long, the children he tried so hard to rescue after they had been kidnapped.

Eventually Ilea had settled down and got married. It seemed she didn't want to grow old waiting for Link to return (Even though he was only a short walk away, just, not in the form she remembered). She married Colin! Of all people. And true to his word, Colin had grown up to be just like Link. He had grown into a good, strong man, the kind of man Ilia wanted to marry. After they were married, Colin bought Ordon Ranch from Fado where they raised livestock for the village(mostly goats and sheep). And much to Ilea's delight, they had added on a larger stable so there could be room for their new horses. Including Epona, they now owned four horses (Two stags, and two mares). Talo and Beth had moved to Castle Town a few months after Colin and Ilia were married to help their brother Malo manage his expanding business. Malo now owns a variety of chain stores all over Hyrule. Link was glad the children had done so well for themselves, but a part of him—a very _large_ part, was resentful of their happiness.

As he watched Ilia bathe Epona, Link couldn't help but let a growl escape from his lips. She hadn't come looking for him when he'd disappeared—hadn't even bothered to wonder **why** Epona returned home without him, and why! Because she never cared about him! She cared about the horse! She was always acting like Epona belonged to her! Always sneaking her away to the springs, always scolding him for what he did with **his** horse! Epona was **his** horse! He was the one who found her injured in the woods! **He** was the one who nursed her back to health! Well, now he was out of the way and she had her precious horse! These thoughts rushed through Link's mind in a fiery red haze, feeding his rage.

All the hate and anger Link felt over the years were bubbling inside of him like hot lava. Link wanted blood, he wanted to bite into her, he wanted to make her scream! He wanted to hear her bones snap as they were crushed in his jaws! He wanted to make her suffer the way he had! He wanted to maker her shriek apologies! No more waiting, it was time he extracted his pound of flesh.

Slowly and silently, Link wadded into the springs. The water soaked his fur through as he moved soundlessly towards the horse's massive hide. Ilia was on the other side of Epona, washing her neck with a small rag and sponge. She wouldn't see him coming. Even if she were to move, the horse's flank would keep her blind until it was too late. Suppressing a growl, Link moved foreword. He was so close to her now.

"What are you doing?" Link looked up. Epona's large, black eyes were looking right at him "Who are you? What are you doing here"? She asked him in the dialect of the animals.

Link stared at her wide-eyed. Epona didn't recognize him! She had seen him in his wolf form before. Was she so happy with her new master that she had forgotten all about him!? How could she have forgotten him?! Years and years of memories rushed past Links eyes: wrangling Epona after she came stampeding into Kakariko Village, she and him jumping the fences at Ordon Ranch, the hours he spent blowing into a reed, playing her favourite song. How could she have forgotten! Link was infuriated. He now had a hunger for a different kind of blood, he had a taste for **horse **blood.

Snarling Link lunged at Epona and sank his teeth into her neck.The horse's warm blood filled his mouth. Using his hind legs Link clung onto the horse as she let out a pained cry and began writhing her head back and forth, trying to throw Link off. Jumping up on her back legs, Epona lost her footing on the slick spring floor and fell back into the water, whining in agony. The blood from her wound made the water around blossom into murky red flowers. Link roared and leaped off the fallen horse, setting his sights on Ilia.

Ilia moved out of the way just as Epona had collapsed and was now staring down, horrified, with a look of utter terror on her face. At first her befuddled mind wondered what had made her horse keel over, but that was before she saw the rabid wolf approaching from the other side of the horse. She tore her gaze away from Epona and to the snarling wolf that was now crouching in front of her, its large, blackly shoulders hunched, ready to attack. Slowly she started to back away, but Link pursued her. He was blocking the only way out of the springs. She couldn't escape.

As Link moved closer, Ilia wrapped her arms protectively around her stomach, trying to protect her unborn child. That should have been **his** child—not Colin's! **He** should have been the one to marry her, not him! Colin should be the one trapped in this hell! Not him! It was her fault! It's her fault he got trapped in this body! She didn't come looking for him! She was so happy to get her horse and new husband she didn't need him anymore— even after he looked all over Hyrule trying to rescue her, and then later trying to help her get her memory back! All memories flooded Link's mind in a flood of sorrow and contempt. He couldn't stand it any longer. It was as if it were being fed from some other source, something beyond himself. He was almost terrified to admit it but, in the grips of wrath and hatred, he liked it.

As the bloodthirsty wolf got closer, Ilia backed away. Her bare foot suddenly snagged on Epona's reigns and she lost her footing and went tumbling into the spring, soaking herself from head to toe. When Link was only a few feet away, his gaping mouth so close she could almost feel his hot breath on her face, tears started spilling from her eyes. Was she suffering? Link wondered. No, she didn't know the meaning of the word. Link would teach her what it meant to truly suffer. With her down and tangled in Epona's reigns, Link saw his opportunity, and went for it.

"ILIA!" the shout came from the other end of the spring.

Turning around, Link saw Colin running into the glade, his sword drawn running, it's long narrow blade gleaming in the sun's light. Colin came at him, little shy Colin, the boy who would be picked on by Malo and Talo, the boy who used to **beg** Link to teach him sword skills. How he had grown. After entering manhood, Colin had grown to look almost exactly like his father had been at that age, except for his dirty blonde hair, his delicate, almost child-like complexion, and his piercing blue eyes—which now only had sight for the wild animal attacking his wife and unborn child. Link barred his fangs. Perfect, he would taste his blood first. Link hunched his shoulders as Colin ran at him brandishing his sword. The wolf stuck his ears back, ready to pounce.

In all of the commotion, Link hadn't noticed Epona was now once again standing on her feet, shaking the water from her long white mane. And by the time he turned around: all he saw were stars. Lifting her hind leg, Epona struck out and kicked Link in the back of the head, her large hooves making a deep cut in his skin.

Link yelped in pain. The force of the blow had knocked him off his feet, sending him flying into the springs in a tumble of bloody fur. His head spinning, Link slowly staggered to his feet, but collapsed as he was overcome with dizziness.

_Splash, splash, splash, splash, splash, splash._

The sound of heavy boots running through the water reached his ears.. He looked up just in time to dodge Colin's sword as it brought it down where his head had been a mere hair ago. If he had waited even a second longer, Link would definitely be a few pounds lighter above the shoulders. The cut on Link's head bled profoundly. The warm blood leaked down his face, stinging his eyes. The hit to the head had clouded his vision. Everything came to him in a blurred web of groggy images and wavy colors. Epona had practically knocked the daylights out of him. Realizing he had no chance of winning, Link spun around and retreated from the springs. Before he crossed the bridge, he looked back to see if he were being fallowed. He wasn't. Blood still stinging his eye, Link ran sluggishly across the bridge and into Faron Woods. After that day, he never returned to the Ordona Province ever again.

* * *

As Link looked back on the events that took place in Ordon Spring, he felt depressed. He shouldn't have done that. It wasn't her fault he was trapped in this body. Sighing through his nose, Link dropped his snout onto his paws and looked around the Glade. Coro had been gone for a three weeks. Link's only companion left to go visit his eldest sister who lived in a cottage on Upper Zora River. In the few weeks that Coro had been gone, Link felt worse than he had in a long time. He truly did enjoy the man's company. After Coro left, he felt depressed and melancholy. Without his master how was he to distract himself from his sorrow. Link closed his eyes and began licking his paws.

Coro, he was something else. Eight years and he was **still** completely devoted to his lantern business (Even though as long as Link had lived here with him, he had never even **seen** another customer come around) The sensible people were all getting their lanterns and oil from the Malo Mart that had taken the place of Sera's Sundries in Ordon Village. Malo Mart could afford to sell oil for only **half **the Rupees of Coro's merchandise (Although the quality of this mass-produced garbage is questionable) Still, no matter what the quality; people went for the hot prices. In fact, Link was certain beyond a doubt that the last customer the poor lantern salesman ever had, was actually **himself** when Coro had given him the lantern. Occasionally Link would show up for the occasional refill, but other than that, the business was a failure. Looking back on it now, Link almost wished he had paid for the lantern. . .

In the eight years that Link had lived with Coro, Link had tried every way he could think of to reverse the transformation and become human again. But there was no hope. He had already returned the Master Sword to the Sacred Grove and had no means of getting back there. The only person whom Link thought could possibly help him was Princess Zelda—actually—it was **Queen** Zelda, now. About two years ago (Around the time Link had attack Ilea) The King sucumbed to the consumption and died as the sickness wasted him away. After his death, Zelda inherited the throne and became Queen of Hyrule—but Link had no way of getting to her! Even if he somehow managed to run **all** the way to Castle Town, there's no way in hell the guards would open up the castle gates—especially for a savage wolf with the soul intention of meeting with their Queen. Link thought of the secret waterways which led into the castle, but they had been sealed. It was a fortress. There was absolutely **no** chance of him **ever** setting paw in Hyrule Castle again.

Link started growling to himself as raw, seething anger welled up inside of him. All throughout his journey, people and spirits kept telling him how important he was, how he was destined for greatness. It had occurred to Link many times over the years that: if he was so important, than why had nobody come looking for him? Why hadn't anybody wondered what happened to him? Why haven't they found him and helped him? Why did they leave him to rot in this body? . . . the answer came to him, the same answer that came to him every time he asked himself these questions, and even now, after all these years, it still hurt to admit it . . . they used him. That was the answer to the grand riddle. They. Used. Him. Link decided this a long time ago. They had all used him, every last one of them—

Jumping to his feet, Link roared and began pacing around the clearing, growling and snarling to himself.

Every body used him! The Spirits Of Light used him! They needed him to collect all of the tears of light so they could have their precious power back. And Link ,being the good person he was, had walked all over the Goddess's creation looking for them. Then, after working his fingers bloody trying to hunt down an kill insects, they fed him some cryptic message of his importance, then vanished back into their springs.

Zelda used him! She needed him to kill Ganondorf so she could have her precious kingdom back from the twilight. She needed him to stop Zant, she needed him to wield the Master Sword! Link howled, his rage building, still pacing. And Midna. . .

Link stopped pacing. Even Midna used him. She needed him to collect The Fused Shadows, she needed him to kill Zant so she could have her throne back and take her place as The Twilight Princess. After that, his word was done, his usefulness ran its course. After they got what they wanted from him—the Spirits, Zelda, Midna, the Gorons, the Zoras, the people of Hyrule—he suddenly became **very** disposable. So they brushed him aside like a horse with a broken leg, not caring what became of him. They didn't care what happened to him. They didn't need him anymore. His usefulness, had run out.

Midna! Link's mind screamed her name. This is all her fault! Link started howling angrily, the birds in the nearby trees scattered in fright. If she hadn't shattered the Mirror of Twilight, he would have been able to enter the Twilight Realm, and she could have transformed him back! The stone that had changed him into a wolf used the power of twilight. He was sure of it. His only means of salvation had been shattered. And why? Supposedly light and shadow can't mix. And so, because of what Link saw as stupidity and betrayal, he was stuck in this living hell for the rest of his **life**. Link hated Midna. He hated her and whoever had cast that damned stone on him—

A twig snapped somewhere behind him. Link's eye flared. Fuelled by rage, he whirled around, fangs bared, ready to attack—but his anger instantly evaporated into joy as he saw Coro rounding the bend into the glade. He had finally return home!

Coro was a tall man (although he had always seemed tall to Link. He was a wolf, after all). The salesman had aged in the last eight years. He was still skinny and lanky—maybe even scrawny—he sort of reminded Link of a Deku sapling. His once vibrant brown hair now had little strands of grey in it. He had cut his hair quite some time ago, deciding that the afro was causing him too much grief.(He confided to Link that he was tired of birds building nests in his hair) After he heaved his traveling pack and gear into his house and unloaded his burden, he rubbed his shoulder and grinned wide when he saw Link sitting by the fire pit. Evidently, he was just as excited to see his friend as well.

"Hey, guy, how've you been?" Coro reached out to pet Link but withdrew his hand when Link started growling "Whoa! Easy there Silverfang. Something wrong boy?"

Link's mind bellowed with rage. Of course there's something wrong! By the three Goddesses he hated this man. He was an idiot! Coro was completely oblivious to what he was going through. And damn it! Link wanted Coro to stop calling him Silverfang. That wasn't his name! Sometimes he just wanted to tear his throat—Link stopped himself. . . .Since when did he start thinking this about Coro? He wasn't the one who had cursed him. Link whimpered in shame and sunk back into his dark depression. Now he was thinking about hurting innocent people. He really was an animal. Link began to whine loudly.

"Hey, hey, Silverfang, it's okay," Coro said, scratching him behind the ear. "Come on guy, I'll make us something to eat."Coro smiled and headed toward the fire pit.

Link sighed and walked after the man. Being scratched behind the ear did make him feel a little better, he supposed. And right now, at that moment, idea of food sounded great: he was famished.

While Coro prepared their meal, Link's probing eyes watched him with an animal-like cunning. He was glad Coro was home again. He was the only human who didn't run away or try to kill Link when they saw him. And for that, he was grateful. If he hadn't found Coro, Link expected he would have gone completely insane by now. But, no use worrying. He had a friend, and in about a few moments, he would have food in his stomach.

After the meal was prepared, they started to eat Coro while told Link with gusto and excitement about his long journey across Hyrule. Link watched him out of the corner of his eye, nodding in the appropriate places to actually give him the impression that he was listening. Link found it a little odd that a full grown man would talk to an animal as if it could understand him (Link could, of course, but Coro didn't now that). He didn't really bother with Coro's stories. Link was much more interested in the huge slab of meet lying at his paws. He sniffed at it and his mouth began to water. It was sizzled to perfection. Link ate as Coro prattled on and on about his sister, and how they're brother had suddenly taken ill, and how he had sailed a raft '**all the way down Zora River'** (His retold this part of the story with much enthusiasm) but Link was hardly paying attention to anything his master was saying. So, this is going to be the rest of his life, he realized. Trapped forever in the body of a wolf, spending the rest of his days getting older and fatter, listening to this man's annoying stories until he finally keeled over. By now Link welcomed death, and judging by how fast Coro was talking, God willing it wouldn't be far off—

"Oh Yeah!" Coro exclaimed. "Did I mention that Queen Zelda is leaving the castle!"

Link's head shot up. He looked up at Coro with a shocked expression. What did he say?

"Well, well, looks like I got your attention." Coro said. "Hey, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you had a thing for The Queen!" Coro laughed and nudged Link in the ribs with his elbow.

Rolling his eyes, Link pocked Coro's side with his muzzle, wanting more information.

"Yeah, that's right." Coro said as if were gossiping with a buddy down at the bar. "There's something happening on Death Mountain, and in three days, Queen Zelda is going up there herself to personally take care of it. Apparently the Gorons have gone cannibal!" Coro looked down and pocked at his steak as it seared on the frying pan. "Weird, I thought they ate only rocks."

As Coro finished telling his tale, Link started up at the man, that wonderful, talkative man. Already he was breaking into a tale of how a monster attacked him on his journey, and how he fearlessly defeated him—But Link was too wrapped up in his thoughts to hear. Inspiration went off behind his eyes like a bomb flower. Zelda was leaving the castle! She was going out in public! This was his big chance! The moment he had been waiting for all these years had finally come! Link could feel the excitement building up inside of him, and already thousand of negatives thoughts were rushing to the forefront of his mind to remind him of how he could never succeed, but he pushed these thoughts away. Nothing could spoil this. This was his chance to get his life back. Sure Zelda would be guarded, but all she would have to do is get a glimpse at him and she would recognize him instantly. Yes! She would recognize him, then she would change him back!

Link felt more anxious than he had in years, he felt like a wolf cub as it wrestles with its friends (Even though he was never a cub, something in his mind told him he knew what this felt like). What was this feeling? Happiness? Yes, surely he must be happy. His tail was certainly **wagging **up a storm! Coro said Zelda was leaving in three days, that meant Link had three days to cross the Faron Province—which meant going across Hyrule Field and into the Lanayru Province to the borders of Castle Town. Not a simple task, but not impossible . . . just improbable.

Link gazed up into the sky. The sun was fiery orange disk on the horizon. It was setting. Link whimpered. The drifting orange of the sky and the listless puffs of clouds reminded him a little too much of the Twilight Realm. It was too late now. He would have to leave tomorrow at first light; better to get some rest now so he could be nice and fresh for his journey across Hyrule.

Leaving Coro to sit alone at the fire pit, Link found the soft patch of earth where he usually slept. A brisk wind blew through the glade. It ruffled his fur and made him smile in the way only wolves can. It was Twilight now, the time where their realm crosses with their own. And even though Link was so close to the Twilight, but so far away from Hyrule Castle: he had never been so sure that he would succeed. He had to be sure, absolutely positive. Anything less and we wouldn't even go. Link yawned and rested his snout on his paws. For now he would rest up and gather his strength. Tomorrow he would set out for another quest. But this time, for himself.

* * *

**Alius111: **Well, there you have it. The first chapter. Now that you've read, tell me what you think. How's the story itself? Where can I improve? Remember, constructive critisism is a writer's best friend. Well, that and booze.


	2. Link's Darkest Hour

**The Legend of Link: The Wolf Howls At Midnight**

**By Alius111**

**Chapter Two**

**Link's Darkest Hour**

It was early in the morning, just moments after daybreak. The sun was a blazing orange disk in the eastern sky, the horizon colored a shade of light pink, the clouds dark blue wisps. A cold wind blew in from the north, rustling the trees. Faron woods were unnaturally quiet. The wildlife hardly stirred. The birds didn't sing, the squirrels hid in branches. As the sun banished the darkness; black storm clouds rolled in from Hyrule Field, bringing with them thunder and the humid stench of rain. The sounds of a shrill dog-like cry could be heard coming from a glade near the edge of the province. Link tossed and turned in his sleep, whining loudly, his hind legs violently kicked. In the rundown shake nearby, Coro slept peacefully in his bed, completely oblivious to the penetrating cries coming from just outside his home. To anyone else, it would have sounded like an animal were being murdered.

Link whimpered, running from restless tears. He could feel it—The heat—The fire. It would burn him alive. The desperate screams of women and children surrounded him, filled him. Cottages smoldered around his writhing body, consumed by the walls of a hellish inferno. The skies were scorched black with clouds of rolling smoke. The waterwheel collapsed into a glowing pile of red cinders. The acrid stench of sulfur and burning wood assaulted Link's sensitive nose, singing the fur on his snout. Madly rolling around in the charred grass, Link howled in pain. He could hear them: the disembodied screams of the villagers as they were burned alive. If he were human he would have clamped his hands down on his ears, but he couldn't. All Link could do was shiver and whine as the screams ripped apart his mind with their cold steely fingers.

Link forced his eyes open. The pungent fumes burned his eyes, made them water. As he honed his senses, trying to see past the wall of the inferno, Link's gaze was cast over the entire area. Things were seen in sharper contrast, smells were not blended as one but were separated as individual signals. He was in Ordon Village, and it was burning. He found himself lying next to the pumpkin patch, whining and shying away from the advancing flames. Tongues of fire licked at the air, infecting the village with an agonizing heat severe enough to make Link's skin blister. The smell of burning wood blotted out every other smell, consumed them in its smoky black veil. But Link's powerful nose could smell something else, another scent festering under the stench of charred timber and sweltering hay . . .

It was _blood. _

He realized with growing terror that the villagers screams had faded away. Link's eyes, nose, and ears searched them out, but there was nothing to be seen or heard but the roaring of the fire which now consumed his home. He could hear them, moments ago—their screams—almost like they were lying right next to him. He imagined if had had reached out he might of been able to touch one of them, maybe graze an arm with his paw. But now there was nothing. As Link's blue eyes stared into the blaze the village began to melt away, the tongues of the flames faded, mixing in with the darkness like black water swirling down an empty drain. For a brief moment there was nothing but sweet oblivion, but then the world came back and it came with a vengeance.

Link found himself standing on the edge of a tiny island, starring out at the vast lake located behind Ordon Village. The island was a nothing but a small stretch of sand and plants. The grasses were lush and green and the flowers bloomed. This was the one place untouched by the fire. Link's trembling paws sank into the mud. The cold felt good. The lake's black waters were still and placid, like a sheet of glass. The stars and moon were blotted out by a shroud of smog, but for once Link felt that fear leave him. The village burned but he was safe. In the center of the lake a rounded pillar of rock jutted upwards like a piece of broken bone. Link remembered the day he sent a hawk to attack a monkey who had been dancing on that pillar, a flower in her hair and a basket in hand. It seemed so long ago. Never had Link wished he could stand on two legs more. Then it came again, that stench. Link felt his insides coil. The stench of blood. It was everywhere, all around him, on him, combing through his fur.

Link stared down at the mossy shore and his eyes widened in horror. His blue earrings jumped as he leaped back. The lake had become red with blood. His paws were soaked in it. A dark scarlet liquid. It felt slimy and warm on his fur. He couldn't even bring himself to try and clean it off his paws. He didn't want his tongue to touch it, didn't want to taste the saltiness of it. He had tasted blood before, seen it thousands of times; now the very sight of it, the feeling of it on him, were enough to make his stomach turn.

What was that floating out there in the center of the lake? Link's head snapped up, his eyes focusing. Something white floated by in the water, bobbing like a cork. Link whimpered. It was an arm—a human arm. Suddenly more of them appeared all over the face of the blood red lake. Not just arms—but torsos and legs too. Hands and toes and ears and . . . and faces. All dead.

The faces scared him the most—made him tremble. Link realized these were the corpses of the slaughtered villagers. They weren't scorched or burned, no. They had been killed long before the fire had started. There were no blisters or charred skin; only the disgusting look of a thing that has decayed in water. There was the body of the old woman who once owned Sarah's Sundries. Her eyes were white and clouded, as if stuffed with cobwebs. Link spotted Rusl's body floating next to hers. The Black Smith had such a look of terror on his face Link felt his breath stop. When Ilia's corpse drifted by Link thought he might cry. Her dark eyes and pallid face stared up at him, accusing him. In her arms she clutched the body of a newborn child. It was wrapped in a blood soaked cloth, it's tiny head pushed up against her heart. When Link reached out with his paw and padded the water, almost reaching out for her. Her corpse suddenly came alive and let out a blood curdling scream.

Pressing his head against the ground, Link yowled and barked. It was a terrible sound. He thought it might drive him insane. Beneath his paws the shore began to tremor. Looking around frantically, Link whined as the earth started to shake. What was happening? Before him the bloodied lake came alive with bubbles. It boiled and churned as if some sort of giant creature were coming to life and were letting out its first rattling breath. The quakes increased, the shore began to crack. Link feared the ground might give out from beneath him.

From deep below there came a loud roar—but not of an animal. To Link it sounded wretchedly human. He wanted to run, but where to run to? Where could he go? He was trapped. As Link whined one last time, his tail tucked between his hind legs. The churning waters exploded and something leaped out at him from their blood red depths—

The wolfish cried came to a sudden halt. Link jumped up from his bed, searching the glade, his heart hammering inside his ribcage. There was nothing. The clearing was still. Huffing through his nose, Link let himself lie back in bed, his snout on his paws, his tongue hanging limply from under his lips.

His territory always had a serene beauty in the morning. If you blocked out the fire pit and Coro's flimsy little shack: there was nothing but trees and nature. The morning sun shone its ray through the treetops. Link's sharp eyes could see little bunches of insects flying around in the light. Dawn. It was always at Dawn that Link felt the most human. It was a warm, comforting feeling, and he welcomed it. At night he felt more like a wild animal, but at least he always had his memories to remind him that he was once human.

He remembered waking up at sunrise in his house, hearing Ilia calling up at his window, yelling for him to come outside. His mind became filled with images of his home, and with them, and sense of dread and nostalgia came. Link remembered climbing down the ladder and into the dark, moldy cellar to get a jar of dried peaches. Nothing tasted quite like Ordanian peaches.

After he vanished his house was left abandoned and un-lived in. Over the past eight years nature had reclaimed it. The last time Link set eyes on his house; it was nothing more than a jumble of rotting wood wrapped in vines and splintered with tree branches. (In the end, everything returns to the earth.) None of the villagers had ever bothered to buy it or to keep it clean. They avoided it almost like it might be haunted. Who knows, maybe they were hoping he might come back one day. . .

"_The history of light and shadow will be written in blood!"_

Link shivered. Above he heard a bird caw before flying off into the sky. No amount of pleasant memories could make him forget what he had dreamed. Even when awake, the images were so sharp and vivid Link swore he could almost smell the smoke on the air . . .

That dream. Link had had that dream before, many times before. For the past month each night he saw Ordon Village burned to the ground in his sleep, and as always it would end with him standing on the edge of a blood red lake, staring hopelessly at the corpses of dead villagers; every time he would reach out for Ilia, and every time he would wake up just as whatever lived at the bottom of the lake jumped out to grab him.

Link had no idea what these dreams were supposed to mean. Perhaps they were premonitions of things to come . . . or maybe they were nothing but fantasies dreamed up by his strained mind. Link had faced armored dragons and colossal resurrected skeletons; he had battled and killed giant spiders and a creature made of fire and darkness. It was no wonder he was having nightmares. After everything he had seen in his life: it was only natural that he were dreaming of calamity and death.

No matter what these nightmares were—fantasies of prophecies—they terrified him. They made him dread going to sleep. He longed for the nights where he dreamed he were human again. Link could scarcely remember the last he took human form in his dreams. Now the idea almost seemed absurd.

It was funny . . . he never thought he would miss it so much.

Still shaken from his nightmare, he tried to force in a few more hours of sleep, but sleep wouldn't come. He got up once to urinate in the bushes and a second time to mark a tree after the scent of another male invaded his territory. After that he had no hope of getting rest. Link yawned and scratched himself behind the ear. His hearing was as sharp as ever. On the other side of the glade, hiding in the tress, a wild rabbit had its eyes on him, too terrified to move or squeak. Link felt his stomach growl. He was hungry, and to a wolf in the morning there is only one thing on its mind:

Food.

Link considered chasing down the little rabbit—his instincts screamed for him to. Flaring his nostrils, he took in the rabbit's scent, memorized it. What would the point be? Coro would feed him . . . but there was no sport in that—no _thrill_. Link had never been much of a hunter but this rabbit was lame. That's why it wouldn't run. He ran his tongue along his snout. Bunny meat had always been a little stringy, but who was he to complain?

He lunged and so did the rabbit. Barking, Link darted across the clearing and into the bushes before the rabbit even had a chance to make it to his hole. The rabbit squealed as Link sank his fangs into its neck. Warm blood filled the wolf's mouth. The hunger to consume raw flesh burned inside of him. Holding the rabbit down with his paws, he savagely ripped into its throat. The rabbit writhed and bled. With a hard and decisive crunch, Link delivered the coup-de-grâce and snapped the rabbit's spine between his powerful jaw. The animal fell limp in his mouth and Link proceeded to tear strings of muscle from the small white bones, happily lapping up the blood and fluids that came pouring out. Once he had his fill, he licked his lips, stretched his back, his neck stuck upwards, and sniffed his way back into the glade.

His hunger satisfied, Link rolled up in his spot and started giving himself a bath. When he went to clean his left paw he saw something which made him stop, and stare. He could see the symbol of the Goddesses clearly for the first time in years. It was there, as clear as day, a small black pyramid made up of three small triangles connected by the points.

Link gawked at it in stupefied disbelief. The symbol had always been there, but over the years the triangles had progressively faded from the back of is paw—almost as if it were confirming Link's feelings of being completely worthless. But now, for the first time in a long time, he could see them. As he continued to stare, his initial confusion gave away to curiosity. Why was it suddenly appearing now? What could it possibly mean? Was it a sign? Where Link once drew comfort from the symbol—it now filled him with dread and uncertainty.

His journey . . . he had almost forgotten. Link raised his snout to the sky. The clouds were murky and grey. His nose could smell the stench of rain on the air. There was a storm coming. Humans can't tell but animals always have a way of sensing bad weather before humans do. In the distance thunder rumbled, it was approaching thunder, the kind that lurks on the brink of the horizon, waiting for the lightning to strike. Not exactly the best weather for traveling, but it would be fine as long as he stuck to the trees.

Seeds of doubt began to seep their way into his head. What if he didn't reach castle town in time? Would this all be for nothing? What if he didn't make it? What if he was destined to die old and fat, no one caring what became of him, stuck in this body until the day he died? An image suddenly appeared in his mind. A wide open plane, a circular barrier of shimmering orange prisms, storm clouds, thunder and lightning. Link could see himself facing down the Dark Lord Ganondorf. He remembered it vividly. He remembered how the wind blew clouds of dust over the battlefield, he remembered how the thunder roared, he remembered Ganondorf's shinning white blade as it struck out for his heart. But most of all he remembered his eyes—Ganondorf's burning yellow eyes.

Link had survived his encounter with the Dark Lord—he had plunged his sword into the glowing wound across his chest. He stood before him as the setting sun cast an eerie white light over the battlefield, and watched Ganondorf die. After all that, would he really let a few doubts stop him?

"_Shadow has been moved by light, it seems . . . How amusing."_

No. He wouldn't let that happen—he had lost too much already. With new found resolve, Link stood and began walking towards the end of the clearing with his head held high. He decided if he was going to leave it would have to be now. But just as he neared the dip in the land where the trees opened to a winding path; he stopped and stared back at the flimsy little shack. Link whined. Inside Coro slept, completely unaware that his only friend in the world was about to abandon him. Link felt guilty. How could he just walk away after everything Coro did for him? He was his best friend . . . his only friend. But what was he supposed to do? Rap on the front door with his paws, wake him up and somehow tell him how much he meant to him? He was an animal—he couldn't say goodbye.

Link looked round at the glade that had been his home for the past six years. With each passing moment the will to leave grew weaker and weaker. He knew he would have to run out of there or end up staying. He was sad to leave Coro and his home behind . . . he would miss them both, but there was nothing for him here now.

Just haunts and bad memories.

Determined, Link jumped around and ran out of the clearing, starting down the long path which would take him to Hyrule Field.

* * *

It was mere hours after he left the glade behind that Link felt the first few drops of rain fall on the tip of his snout. Link barked and ran faster, taking shelter beneath the canopy of trees. Thunder rumbled in the sky. When he was a child Link could tell how far away a storm was from the village by counting the seconds between each time the clouds thundered. Now as Link padded through dried leaves and tangled roots, his instincts told him to run for shelter. He couldn't. He had to keep running.

Lightning forked across the darkened sky in burning white tridents of jagged light. Soon the rain began to fall. It came at Link in a curtain of falling water. Link ran into to it head on. In a matter of seconds his fur was soaked through. Thunder rumbled again, fallowed quickly by a dazzling sheet of lighting. Before the light vanished the shadows of the trees seemed in dark contrast, like dead limbs reaching out for him with clawed hands. It was just a trick of the light, what he saw hadn't been real. But the fear, the fear he felt sucking the air from his lungs.

That was certainly real.

As he ran through the storm, Link was reminded of the time he carried Midna to Princess Zelda as she lay dying on his back. It had been storming then too, just as it was now. Link remembered with chilling clarity how desperate he felt as he ran from Lake Hylia. As Link padded through the muddy puddles, he swore he could almost feel Midna's dead weight on his back. Never had he felt so helpless and at the same time, terrified—terrified that Midna was going to die, terrified he would have to watch her die, unable to help her, unable to do nothing but stand there on his four paws and watch as the light faded from her eye.

But things were different now. The fear he felt creeping up his spine was familiar but there weren't any lives depending on him this time. And for that, he was grateful. Above in the dark clouds the storm raged. Torrential winds tore at the trees, ripping branches from their trunks where they collapsed into the mud in dead heaps.

The wind felt horribly bitter on his fur. Link could feel the strength in his legs wavering, his heart rate increasing. His paws ached and sang each time they struck ground.

Finally after hours of running through the storm, Link collapsed, falling into a shallow puddle, covering himself with mud and dead leaves. Breathing heavily, Link stuck out his tongue and greedily lapped up the water he was laying in. It tasted salty but the cold felt good running down his dried throat.

A few hours of running and his energy had already been spent.

He was too old for this, he realized. Eight years was a very long time for a wolf. Traveling had always been so much easier when he had Midna. The thought crept into his mind from some dark, lonely place. Link pushed it away, but still it kept repeating itself, chanting and hammering itself a place in his head.

Traveling had been easier with Midna. If only he were younger—if only Midna were there. She could just teleport him to Castle Town . . .

But she wasn't—and she never would. People like her only helped others when it was in their best interest—which she had already proven to him with a knife in his back.

Legs trembling, Link stood and sought shelter underneath the branches of a nearby tree. Once under the refuge of the branches, Link shook his entire body to dry himself in a pure dog-like fashion. Locating a dry patch of earth, he huffed and collapsed in a rising cloud of dust, filled with pity and hatred for himself.

Link hated himself, he hated how weak he had become—he hated how he had become so dependent on Minda to travel.

Midna . . . just thinking her name sent Link's upper lip trembling as he growled.

This was all her fault. Hers and everyone else's.

Even _if_ blaming Midna and every other human for his plight did nothing but feed his hatred and self-loathing; at least he would get some satisfaction out of it. Again the sound of thunder exploded above head and the rain came down even harder. Looking around, Link knew he wouldn't be able to move through this. Even if he tried he probably wouldn't even make a mile. He would just have to lay here and wait the storm out.

His stomach growled and Link whined. He was starving. If he were home Coro would of dropped a thick juicy steak at his feet by now. Just thinking about it made Link drool. Listening to the soothing sound of the rain hitting the ground. Link soon found it getting hard to keep his eyes open.

He tried to stay awake but his eyes kept drooping. The truth of the matter was: Link was exhausted. He had been running for so long. He could feel himself slipping to the steady drumming of the rain. The air was humid and warm, the atmosphere so relaxing. His muscles sang in throbbing pain. The sun was blocked by the black storm clouds; time wasn't an issue. Link figured he could just rest his eyes and wait the storm out. Yawning wide, Link flashed a set of pearly white canines. Fatigue and tiredness taking him, Link fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

The Fire—the heat, it would burn him alive. The screams ripped away his sanity and Link howled in terror. The dream, it was back. The inferno consumed the village, burning people who weren't really there. The images were horrifyingly familiar, the licking flames, the glowing red wood, the black stinking smell of smoldering hay. Even to Link while in the grip of the nightmare; it all seemed terribly lucid. Link desperately gasped for air, smothering beneath a blanket of smoke. He could taste the sulfur on his tongue. The screams were as clear as a bell. Link's animal mind barely grasped the fact that he was dreaming, but the fire and the heat felt so real. He counted the steps in his head: the burning village, the screams, then came the . . .

And just as before the village melted away to be replaced by the tiny island with its pitiful stretch of sand and grass. As Link expected, the lake ran red with blood—even though he knew it was coming the sensation still managed to inspire fresh terror in his heart. Then came the bodies, floating by in lines like little toy soldiers flowing down a stream. Link knew what was coming next as soon as Ilia's corpse drifted by with the new born child clutched in her arms. The anticipation was almost as bad as looking into her cold, blank stare. In fact Link probably would of dove in after her if he hadn't know what was waiting for him at the bottom of the red lake, about to let out its first rattling breath.

The waters began to bubble and churn. It was like a movie playing in his head, Link counted each step as it came at him as if he were floating out of his body. Any moment now and the waters would explode, something would reach out for him but he would wake up before it had a chance to get its claws around him. Then he would wake up under the safe refuge of the tree branches, safe and stiff from sleeping on the hard earth. But something else happened. Something that grabbed Link and forced him back into his body, making him feel like his heart were being wrabbed in glowing red wire. The water exploded and something leaped out at him, but he didn't wake up as expected. The second was gone, that momentary pause where he woke up. Whatever slumbered at the bottom of the lake had reached out and pulled him back.

A powerful skeletal hand possessing a wiry strength shout out of the water and clutched his throat, squeezing as if it were trying to choke him to death. The hand wore a thick steel gauntlet made of black armor. Blood ran down its massive fingers, collecting in thick drops where they dripped down in long, slimy strings. Its razor sharp claws, lethal and made of iron, plunged themselves into the tender flesh of Link's neck. Trails of fresh blood seeped from the wounds, dripping onto the armored hand. As if feeding on it, the hand began to rise from the lake, lifting Link along with it. Link's cobalt blue eyes fallowed the hand down its arm and up to its shoulder as more of the creatures' body emerged from the lake. As it rose it took Link with it, lifting him off the ground and into the air.

The creature holding him was a massive suit of very elaborate and decorated black armor; easily eight feet tall it looked built for a real giant of a man. It looked to be some sort of sinister knight. Although the suite was empty it seemed horribly alive, almost like some dark writhing thing were living inside of it, giving it life. It wore a long black cape, shredded and soaked with blood. Link whimpered, tucking his tail between his legs. If he were still human he would have screamed until he bled from the eyes.

There was an insignia inscribed on the Knight's colossal chest plate. It was the symbol of the Goddesses. Three golden triangles combined to make a whole. Only, in the dead center of the symbol, where the three shapes left a hollow in the shape of an inverted triangle; there was a black void, an empty space colored in—as if it had been filled by the darkness. Black tendrils snacked from the center of the symbol, spreading to the other triangles, almost like it were infecting them with its evil. Deep in the Knight's suite of armor, Link could hear something breathing . . . Something dark . . .

Something _alive._

Tightening its grip on Link's neck, the Knight pulled him closer. It had no head, just a large black helmet filled with an endless darkness. From the side of the helmet were two large, twisted horns, curved and elongated like a goat or a Ram's might be. Staring back at Link from deep within the helmet were two burning red eyes. These weren't its eyes, Link knew, they were its windows. What haunted this armor lived deeper in the Knight, it looked at the wolf from far below, lower inside the Knight, festering in his hallow chest. Those burning red eyes were hungry and insane. It leaned closer to Link and let out a long, rattling breath. The wolf could hear it coming from inside, echoing from that impenetrable darkness. The Knight pulled Link's snout closer until it and the eyes were almost touching, washing its putrid breath over his face. The stink—the stink of death, was enough to make the struggling wolf gag. Suddenly the Knight reached out and clenched Link left paw in its steely grip.

"_I Found You,_" It whispered—that death stick was so warm against his skin.

Link awoke howling in fear, his heart jackhammering in his chest. Unfamiliar pictures flashed before his mind, driving him deeper in wild panic: strange trees, a long winding trail . . .

It took a moment for Link to realize where he was. Never had the dream still feel so real.

Link shivered from the cold. He could still feel the Knight's icy, steel hand around his neck.

Taking a deep breath, Link steadied himself. He didn't want his heart to give out.

The rain had stopped at last. Link didn't trust what he saw. The weather was treacherous. They sky was still covered in black storm clouds. The storm didn't seem gone to him . . . more like it were sleeping.

Suddenly he felt a sharp pain jolt in his left paw. Link howled.

Cringing, he looked down at his paw. There was nothing, not even the tiniest cut. As quickly as it had come, the pain ebbed away like the tide pulling back into sea but promising to return. Link pushed it from his mind. He didn't want to think that his paw hurt because the Knight had grabbed it in his dream. He figured he'd stepped on something sharp when he was running so recklessly down the trail and didn't feel the pain until he was asleep . . . dreams were like that. Things from the real world often carried over into sleep . . .

* * *

Link ran faster than he ever had before. All of his troubles and nightmares and anger couldn't bother him as long as he could out run them. With thoughts of what he would do once he was human again motivating him, he kept running. He ran swiftly down the trail, taking short cuts through the trees and running through empty glades, feeling more vigorous than he had in years. Despite his dream being haunted by burning villages and sinister knights, it still left him feeling refreshed and full of vitality. Judging by the position of the sun, Link knew he would arrive at Hyrule Field soon a matter of hours.

By the time noon rolled by, Link cleared the trail and ran from Faron Woods, leaving Coro, his home, and his old life behind.

Hours later, standing before one of the largest bodies of land in the province, Link couldn't help but feel for once in his otherwise unbearable life, a sense of accomplishment. He made it to Hyrule Field. Now he would just have to cross it into the Lanayru Province, then pass another field and he would soon find himself standing in front of the gates of Castle Town. The field was vast though; an endless expanse of grassy fields and rolling hill. Halfway there was a small wooden bridge which stretched over a narrow stream. That was his marker. He wanted to reach the bridge before sundown.

As Link began his journey into the field, above, hiding in the trees; a pair of watchful eyes stared after him before vanishing into the Twilight.


End file.
